Museum

Every picture tells a story, but in this series, valuable paintings are treated as crime scenes! Beyond the genteel galleries and upmarket auction houses of the art world lies a dimension rarely seen – a darker side of incalculable wealth, social ambition and sometimes subterfuge. In the third season of this audience pleasing mini-series, a recognized art sleuth, a doctor of history and cutting-edge scientists again join forces to discover the truth behind controversial works of art.

Constable
The experts take on a doubly challenging investigation as they try and prove that not one, but two paintings are missing works by John Constable, one of Britain’s best loved but most widely faked artists. Gillie Dance used to keep her painting Yarmouth Jetty under the bed in her London home, never quite believing it was by John Constable – but the team starts to get excited when a previous owner turns out to have a close connection to the Constable family. Another painting, A Sea Beach Brighton, used to hang in Boston’s prestigious Museum of Fine Arts, until they sold it off at a fraction of its possible value in the early ‘90s. Attorney Tom Toppin and his wife Bernie snapped it up and they’ve been struggling to prove its authenticity ever since. Philip has a hunch that the proof they seek lies in other Constable paintings in U.S. galleries. Will the experts agree?

Basel, Switzerland’s third most populous city, boasts the highest concentration of museums and the oldest public art collection in the world. Each year in June, the city also plays host to the largest and most influential art fair in the world. This documentary offers viewers a glimpse of the city, the attendees and the art of the famous fair while tracing its 40-year history.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio opened in 1995. Designed by architect I.M. Pei, the spectacular glass pyramid, reflects the idea that rock and roll is a prism through which we can more clearly see and understand our culture and ourselves. This film features the museum’s fascinating collection of sights and sounds that skillfully recreate the story of rock from its roots to its ubiquitous acceptance as a soundtrack of our lives. The iconic artifacts include Muddy Waters’ primary guitar, John Lennon’s Sgt. Pepper uniform and Michael Jackson’s glove. The music itself is curated at the museum in a variety of ways, including interactive listening booths that connect influences from one artist to another across the decades. “So, it’s not four skinny guys with long hair and guitars only,” explains Greg Harris, President and CEO of the museum. It’s also vocalists, folk singers, soul music, dance music, hip-hop, punk, heavy metal, grunge and electronic dance music. All are branches of the tree of rock and roll.

Every picture tells a story, but in this series, valuable paintings are treated as crime scenes! Beyond the genteel galleries and upmarket auction houses of the art world lies a dimension rarely seen – a darker side of incalculable wealth, social ambition and sometimes subterfuge. In the third season of this audience pleasing mini-series, a recognized art sleuth, a doctor of history and cutting-edge scientists again join forces to discover the truth behind controversial works of art.

Gainsborough
The team faces a daunting challenge as they search for lost masterpieces in Britain’s public art collections. More than 100,000 oil paintings have been photographed and posted online as part of the Your Paintings initiative – 17,000 of them listed as “artist unknown.” Philip and his colleague Bendor Grosvenor believe they’ve identified several missing works by artist Thomas Gainsborough. Can they prove it?